US Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius To Resign

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Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is resigning. President Obama, according to the New York Times, has selected Sylvia Mathews Burwell of the Office of Management and Budget as her replacement.

Secretary Sebelius became a household name following the catastrophic launch of Healthcare.gov, the government’s portal to provide a marketplace for private health insurance during the rollout of the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.

Despite that flop of national proportions, the secretary weathered withering calls to resign, and, after the site got on its feet, oversaw, at least in part, the come-from-behind victory of Obamacare to reach its initial, un-revised sign-up goal of 7 million by the end of open enrollment in early 2014.

According to the New York Times, who spoke to both the secretary and White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, her exit was of her own accord. Her conversations with the president regarding her exit are said to have begun before the March 31 deadline that ended with a victory lap for the administration. McDonough told the Times that the Secretary felt that the moment was propitious for change.

What appears doubtful is that the political war over Obamacare is over. This morning Secretary Sebelius indicated that the total Obamacare sign-up tally is now 7.5 million.

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CrunchBase

BioKathleen Sebelius was sworn in as the 21st Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on April 28, 2009. Since taking office, Secretary Sebelius has led ambitious efforts to improve America’s health and enhance the delivery of human services to some of the nation’s most vulnerable populations, including young children, those with disabilities, and the elderly.
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